About maketodayrock.com: We celebrate musicians' birthdays, remember those we've lost, and highlight key moments in music such a release dates, chart peak dates, or anything else tied to a specific date. Pick any day from the menu in the top right. The front page shows recent obituaries.
November 30, 2023 ~ Punk rock singer Shane MacGowan, full name Shane Patrick Lysaght MacGowan, passed away in Dublin, Ireland ~ Lead singer of the Pogues from its inception in 1982 through 1991, rejoined in 2001. Merging the raw energy and anger of punk with Irish folk and instrumentation the band rose to fame in the 1980s, and would become especially acclaimed for the albums Rum Sodomy & The Lash and If I Should Fall From Grace With God. MacGowan was also a member of the Nipple Erectors and of the Popes, and has collaborated with Joe Strummer, Nick Cave, Steve Earle, the Jesus & Mary Chain, the Dropkick Murphys, Sinéad O'Connor, and Ronnie Drew ~ MacGowan was born in 1957
November 30, 2022 ~ Christine Anne Perfect, commonly known as blues rock, rock, pop rock singer, keyboardist, songwriter Christine McVie passed away in London, UK ~ Daughter of concert violinist Cyril Perfect. Member of blues outfit Chicken Shack through 1969, with whom she recorded two albums. Best known as member of Fleetwood Mac, initially working with the band as a session pianist on their second album Mr Wonderful. Would become an integral member of the band by the early 1970s. Wrote or co-wrote several of the band's best known including Don't Stop, The Chain, You Make Loving Fun, Little Lies, and As Long As You Follow. Married to Fleetwood bassist John McVie from 1969 through 1976 ~ Perfect was born in 1943
November 30, 2020 ~ Anne-Marie Beugras, commonly known as singer, guitarist, songwriter Anne Sylvestre, passed away in Paris, France ~ Active since the 1950s starting in cabarets. Discovered by Michel Valette. Had her Porteuse D'Eau covered by Jean-Claude Pascal, retitled to La Terre. Recorded for a wide range of audiences, and touched on a wide variety of subjects, ranging from children's music to love songs and socially conscious material. Has collaborated with Isabelle Aubret, Pauline Julien, and Michele Bernard ~ Beugras was born in 1934November 30, 2019 ~ Thrash metal band Slayer play their last ever concert, concluding The Final World Tour in Inglewood, California ~ The band had kicked off their 147-date The Final World Tour, sometimes also referred to as The Farewell Tour, the previous year in San Diego, California. Considered one of the big four of thrash metal, alongside Metallica, Megadeth, and Anthrax, the band has built a solid following with about a dozen albums to their name since the early 1980s. Their last two sold-out concerts were played over two consecutive nights at the Forum, Inglewood, California, to a crowd of some 23,000 visitors on each night. Despite being referred to as a farewell tour, the band's manager, Rick Sales, said that the tour was not a foreshadowing of their split, but merely an end of touring
November 30, 2017 ~ Actor, singer, comedian Jim Nabors, full name James Thurston Nabors, passed away in Honolulu, Hawaii, USA ~ Discovered by Andy Griffith. Best known for portraying the role of Gomer Pyle on The Andy Griffith Show. Popular guest on variety shows in the 1960s and 1970s, praised for his rich baritone voice. Has recorded over two dozen albums starting in the mid 1960s ~ Nabors was born in 1930
November 30, 2016 ~ Amar Ait Zal, commonly known as singer, mandole player Amar Ezzahi, passed away in Algiers, Algeria ~ Despite shunning the media and having given only one concert during his entire career, preferring to perform in open spaces like cafes and terraces, Ezzahi would become a figurehead of Chaabi, the traditional music of Algiers. His stature was such that upon his death Azzedine Mihoubi, then-Minister of Culture, would visit the family house to console the next of kin and pay hommage to Ezzahi. Ezzahi is known for songs such as Zinouba, Yal Adra, Aadrouni Yahli, and Ghada Kasek ~ Ezzahi was born in 1941
November 30, 2016 ~ Composer, conductor Kamillo Lendvay passed away in Budapest, Hungary ~ Influenced by Béla Bartók, Zoltán Kodály, and Leonard Bernstein. Prominent conductor, teacher, composer who had his works performed throughout the world, including in the USA, Europe, and Asia. Served as musical director or conductor for the Szeged Opera, the State Puppet Theatre, the Budapest Operetta Theatre. For some two decades starting in the early 1970s, Lendvay has served as professor at the Franz Liszt Academy of Music, Budapest, one of the oldest music universities in Europe. Near the end of his life, well into his eighties, Lendvay would look back: “I have never compromised in matters of style, regardless of prevailing fashion or the presumed taste of the public, or other considerations. My law is the unity between theme, harmony, and form. In my many decades of composition, I remained faithful to these principles.” ~ Lendvay was born in 1928
November 30, 2013 ~ Pascal-Emmanuel Sinamoyi Tabu, commonly known as rumba, soukous singer, bandleader, songwriter Tabu Ley Rochereau, passed away in Brussels, Belgium ~ Along with Nico Kasanda and Franco Luambo pioneered soukous. Said to have composed over 3,000 songs. Shot to fame in 1956 as member of L'African Jazz singing on the hit Indépendance Cha Cha. Would go on to found African Fiesta, one of the most successful acts in African music known for songs such as the million-seller Afrika Mokli Mobimba. Formed Afrisa in 1970, continuing his hit streak with compositions such as Sorozo, Kaful Mayay, Aon Aon and Mose Konzo ~ Tabu was born in 1940November 30, 2012 ~ Singer, songwriter Glen Campbell plays his final concert at the Uptown Theater, Napa, California ~ Diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, the singer would set out on his Goodbye Tour in September 2011 as a farewell to his much-appreciated fans. The tour runs much longer than expected, but when the 76-year-old Glen Campbell becomes disoriented during the show and struggles to get through eight songs, including his Grammy Award-winner Gentle On My Mind, it becomes clear he can no longer perform
November 30, 2010 ~ Jazz, traditional jazz clarinetist Monty Sunshine passed away ~ Best known for his clarinet solo on Petite Fleur, a million-seller in 1959 for Chris Barber. The following year Sunshine would venture out on his own, forming his own ensemble the Monty Sunshine Jazz Band with whom he recorded albums such as Black Moonlight and Sunshine. Sunshine has also collaborated with the likes of Ken Colyer, Lonnie Donegan, Kenny Ball, and Joe Meek ~ Sunshine was born in 1928November 30, 2006 ~ Shirley Ann Rogers, commonly known as conductor, film arranger, orchestrator, composer Shirley Walker, passed away in Reno, Nevada, USA ~ One of the first female film composers in Hollywood. Known for the scores to Escape From LA, True Lies, and Batman: Mask Of The Phantasm. Collaborated with Danny Elfman, John Carpenter, Lolita Ritmanis, Brad Fiedel, Richard Band, and Carmine Coppola ~ Rogers was born in 1945
November 30, 2001 ~ Homer Lee Sherrill, commonly known as old time, bluegrass fiddler Pappy Sherrill, passed away in Chaplin, South Carolina, USA ~ Received his first fiddle, a tin model from Sears & Roebuck, at the age of seven. Would go on to play for various radio shows starting in the late 1920s. Formed the WIS Hillbillies in 1939, renamed to the Hired Hands after the death of member Byron Parker. The band would become a fixture on the South Carolina music scene, and is noted for appearing on the very first day of broadcasting of the WIS-TV station in 1954 ~ Sherrill was born in 1915
November 30, 1999 ~ Don Francis Bowman Harris, commonly known as guitarist, violinist Don Sugarcane Harris, passed away in Los Angeles, California, USA ~ Given the stagename “Sugarcane” by Johnny Otis for being a ladies man. Started in the doo-wop group the Squires, which also included pianist Dewey Terry. Would form the duo Don & Dewey with Terry. After the duo disbanded Harris switched to electric violin, eventually establishing himself as a pioneer on the then-unusual instrument. Harris has appeared on albums by John Mayall, Frank Zappa (Hot Rats), Harvey Mandel, the Pure Food & Drug Act, John Lee Hooker (Born In Mississippi Raised In Tennessee), and Billy Bang. As a solo artist Harris is especially acclaimed for his 1971 Fiddler On The Rock album ~ Harris was born in 1938November 30, 1997 ~ The The X-Files episode The Post-Modern Prometheus, featuring a storyline centered around singer Cher, airs on Fox ~ In this comical take on Frankenstein, Mulder and Scully investigate claims of a monster obsessed with Cher that's sedating and impregnating the local women. The story was written with the singer, a fan of the show, in mind but as she was unavailable at the time Cher consented to the use of a lookalike. Three of her songs, The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore, Walking In Memphis, and Gypsies Tramps & Thieves, were used in the show
November 30, 1996 ~ Herbert Butros Khaury, commonly known as singer, ukulele player Tiny Tim, passed away in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA ~ By his pre-teen years he developed a passion for records, specifically those from the 1900s through the 1930s. He began spending most of his free time at the library, reading abouth the history of the phonograph industry and its first recording artists. He researched sheet music, often making copies to take home to learn, a hobby he continued for his entire life. As a recording artist known for his 1968 single Tiptoe Through The Tulips, sung in his signature falsetto voice, and Living In The Sunlight (Loving In The Moonlight) ~ Khaury was born in 1932
November 30, 1994 ~ Conrad Henry Kirnon, commonly known as jazz drummer Connie Kay, passed away in New York, New York, USA ~ Member of the Modern Jazz Quartet for nearly two decades, replacing Kenny Clarke in 1955 and remaining with the band until their dissolution in 1974. To R&B, rock & roll audiences perhaps best known as a session musician for Atlantic Records, including on Big Joe Turner's Shake Rattle & Roll and Ruth Brown's Mama He Treats Your Daughter Mean. Other notable associations include Jim Hall, Randy Weston (Piano A La Mode), Ray Charles, Sonny Rollins, Cannonball Adderley, John Coltrane (Coltrane Plays The Blues), Sonny Stitt, Van Morrison (Astral Weeks), and Red Norvo ~ Kirnon was born in 1927
November 30, 1993 ~ Country singer, guitarist, songwriter David Houston, full name Charles David Houston, passed away in Bossier City, Louisiana, USA ~ Recorded some two dozen albums through the early 1980s, his popularity peaking in the 1960s and early 1970s. First to record Almost Persuaded in 1966, written by Billy Sherrill and Glenn Sutton. It would be Houston's first Billboard Country No.1 hit and become a country classic, covered by numerous artists including Conway Twitty, Dottie West, George Jones, and Johnny Paycheck. Houston would score well over a dozen more Billboard Country top 10 hits, including the No.1's With One Exception, You Mean The World To Me, Have A Little Faith, and Baby Baby (I Know You're A Lady). Houston has also recorded two duet albums, My Elusive Dreams with Tammy Wynette in 1967, and A Perfect Match with Barbara Mandrell in 1972 ~ Houston was born in 1935
November 30, 1992 ~ Country singer, guitarist, songwriter Dale McBride passed away ~ Played rockabilly in the 1950s, to venture into country by the 1960s. Discovered by Dean Martin, who helped him land a record deal with Reprise Records, though initially to little success as the label was not focused on country music. McBride found moderate success from the mid 1970s onwards, with singles such as Ordinary Man, Always Lovin' Her Man, and I Don't Like Cheatin' Songs reaching the top 50 on the Billboard Country charts. McBride's son, bassist and singer Terry McBride, started in his father's backing band, and would later front 1990s country unit McBride & the Ride, and write for Brooks & Dunn ~ McBride was born in 1936
November 30, 1988 ~ Bebop, hard bop saxophonist Charlie Rouse passed away in Seattle, Washington, USA ~ Closely associated with Thelonious Monk, backing the pianist for over a decade starting in 1959, including on albums such as At The Blackhawk, Criss-Cross, and Monk In Tokyo. Rouse has recorded over a dozen albums as leader or co-leader, especially noted for 1957's The Chase Is On, a collaborative album with Paul Quinichette. Other notable associations include Billy Eckstine, Dizzy Gillespie, Tadd Dameron, Clifford Brown, Lou Donaldson, Oscar Pettiford, Art Farmer, Les Jazz Modes (Jazzville), Eddie Cleanhead Vinson, Herbie Mann, Fats Navarro (Nostalgia), Donald Byrd, Art Blakey, Duke Jordan (Duke's Delight), and Sphere. The latter was co-founded by Rouse in 1977, starting out as a tribute band to Monk, the pianist with whom Rouse truly rose to fame. The group also included another Monk-alumnus, drummer Ben Riley, and recorded their first album on the day that Monk died ~ Rouse was born in 1924
November 30, 1987 ~ Pop rock, pop punk bassist Dougie Poynter, full name Dougie Lee Poynter, born in Corringham, UK ~ Bassist for McFly, with whom he recorded over half a dozen albums starting with Room On The 3rd Floor released in 2003. Poynter has written a vast amount of the band's material including Transylvania, which would top the charts in the band's native UK. Poynter also co-wrote I Would recorded by 5 Seconds Of Summer and Don't Forget Where You Belong recorded by One Direction. Besides his musical endeavours Poynter co-authored the children's books The Dinosaur That Pooped Christmas, which sold over 70,000 copies making it the most popular debut children's novel of 2012, the follow-up The Dinosaur That Pooped A Planet, and Plastic Sucks (How YOU Can Reduce Single Use Plastic And Save Our Planet)
November 30, 1987 ~ Synth-pop duo the Pet Shop Boys release Always On My Mind as a stand-alone single ~ During an TV special aired on ITV featuring several popular acts of the day commemorating the tenth anniversary of Elvis Presley's death, the British duo would perform their hi-NRG, dance-pop version of the classic country song, which had been a 1972 UK top 10 hit for Presley. The performance by the Pet Shop Boys was so well-received that they decided to record it and issue it as a stand-alone single. The single would top the UK charts at Christmas the same year, edging out Fairytale Of New York by the Pogues, and reach No.4 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, making it the duo's fifth and final American top 10 hit
November 30, 1985 ~ In its 9th week on the charts, Separate Lives by Marilyn Martin and Phil Collins hits No.1 Billboard Hot 100 ~ Written by Stephen Bishop, produced by Arif Mardin, Hugh Padgham, and Phil Collins. Recorded as duet by Collins ans Marilyn Martin for the soundtrack of the musical drama film White Nights, the film's title referring to the sunlit simmer night of then- Leningrad, now St Petersburg, the setting for the majority of the film, situated just below the Arctic Circle. The song would receive an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song, losing out to Lionel Richie's Say You Say Me, another Billboard Hot 100 No.1 hit from the same film. Bishop would also record his own version for his Sleeping With Girls album, issued the same year, while Collins has since regularly performed the song at his concerts, including as a duet either with Amy Keys, Laura Pausini, or Bridgette Bryant. Separate Lives would be the second major hit for Collins recorded specifically for a soundtrack, as Against All Odds (Take A Look At Me Now), recorded by the British drummer for the neo-noir romantic thriller Against All Odds, had reached No.1 Billboard Hot 100 in 1984November 30, 1984 ~ A Houston radio morning show reports that last night's Bruce Springsteen concert is still going on ~ Singer Bruce Springsteen, by then known for his marathon shows, plays two consecutive nights for a crowd of some 33,000 visitors each night at the Summit, Houston, Texas, as part of his Born In The USA Tour. On their morning show, a Houston radio station reports that the concert from the night before is still going on, and that the singer has just pulled the 250th girl from the audience to join him on Dancing In The Dark. Some of the station's more gullible listeners believe it. To date, the longest concert Springsteen has ever given would be a performance in Helsinki, Finland, in 2012, which went on for four hours and six minutes
November 30, 1984 ~ Pop rock, indie rock, alternative rock singer, guitarist, bassist, keyboardist Tim Myers born in Orange, California, USA ~ Member of OneRepublic from 2002 through 2007, appearing on the band's Dreaming Out Loud debut album. Following his stint with the band Myers has recorded as a solo artist, noted for the tracks Under Control and Lover My Love, but primarily became known as an in-demand songwriter and producer, collaborating with Aloe Blacc, Capital Cities, American Authors, Rooney, Ke$ha, Echosmith, Welshley Arms, Joy Williams, James Arthur, Phillip Phillips, Hailee Steinfeld, Michelle Branch, and Five For Fighting
November 30, 1982 ~ Andrea Fuentealba Valbak, commonly known as pop, dance, electropop singer, songwriter, actress Medina, born in Aarhus, Denmark ~ Active since the mid 2000s singing mainly in Danish, reaching some international succes with recordings in English. Broke through in her native Denmark with the 2009 Velkommen Til Medina album which included the Danish charttoppers Kun For Mig, Kun For Dig and the title track Velkommen Til Medina. Internationally best known for her 2010 Welcome To Medina album, its You And I single reaching top 40 in Austria, Switzerland and the UK and top 10 in GermanyNovember 30, 1982 ~ Christian metal, alternative metal, melodic metalcore guitarist Nick Hipa, full name Samuel Nicholas Hipa, born ~ Best known as member of As I Lay Dying from 2003 through 2014, rejoining in 2018. Member of Wovenwar. Guested on recordings by the Austrian Death Machine, Living Sacrifice, In Hearts Wake, Heaven Shall Burn